Human skin is damaged to an ever increasing degree by environmental effects, air pollution, and lack of suitable residential microclimate. In milder cases such damage takes the form of pathologically dry, inflamed, scurfy, itching skin formations, and lesions. When the skin problems are more serious, dermatologists suggest the use of pharmaceutical compositions generally containing synthetic active ingredients.
In cases of relatively milder skin damage, various paramedicinal or cosmetic composition are recommended in the literature to ameliorate the symptoms. Such a composition is described for example in Hungarian patent No. 195,420 which contains extracts of St. John's wort and marigold, tocopherol, collagen, allantoin, panthenol, jojoba oil, chamomile oil and chamomile extract.
According to Hungarian patent No. 195,915 the extract of different parts of the maize plant prepared with water or with water miscible pharmaceutically acceptable organic solvents is formulated together with the usual excipients, diluents or vehicles to form a skin regenerating and hydrating cosmetic composition.
A topical composition having a somewhat similar effect is described in Hungarian patent No. 184,410, which contains as active ingredient the aqueous or ethanolic extracts of drugs of species belonging to the Fagaceae and/or Chenopodicae and/or Rosaceae families.
Due to the great variety of symptoms, the different sensitivity of the individuals, and the potential allergic skin reactions, no composition is known which could be generally applied for all varieties within the above group of symptoms.